We often make assumptions that companies and the public sector folks that are involved in the SBIR/STTR solicitation and grant process are familiar with all aspects of the program.  Then you talk to a peer in another company, or meet with a government representative or come across information on the web and realize, “I didn’t know that, or they didn’t know that, wow”.

However, as you consider the breadth of the program and the numerous entities involved, it really is no surprise that beyond one’s direct area of involvement there is much to learn.

The latest Slam Stick release has an IMU capable of recording the device's orientation relative to either its initial orientation (relative orientation), or to relative to magnetic north (absolute orientation). As I discuss elsewhere, the sensor uses a magnetometer to measure the Earth's magnetic field for absolute orientation, along with the accelerometer and gyroscope used to track gravity and the device's movement. The algorithms to synthesize these sensors into one set of coordinates are relatively complicated, and they need to go through a calibration procedure to become accurate.